


Break these endless lies

by Erased_Citizen



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Corruption, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, My First Fanfic, Panic, Panic Attacks, Phanfiction, Protective Phil, The world is evil, Violence, hurt Dan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-09-08 09:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8839930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erased_Citizen/pseuds/Erased_Citizen
Summary: Dan and Phil are far from being friends in real life. Instead, they are forced to make videos and get punished for every little mistake. Are they able to escape this life together?





	1. Chapter 1

Dan placed the usual sarcastic smile upon his face, the smile all the people found so charming. He could see Phil next to him doing the same , just like everytime they were filming a video"together".  
It wasn't a big deal anymore, they had got used to it and, most important, they needed the money.  
The men sitting behind the camera were about to turn it on, they wouldn't want to waste any time, as usual.  
He knew exactly how they would react if he or Phil made mistakes in front of the camera and a sequence of the video would have to be filmed again. He flinched at the memory of the last time they had been punished...  
"Hey guys!", Phil said with a cheerful voice, and Dan couldn't help admiring how happy and relaxed his voice sounded.  
"Hello Internet! So, we're very sorry there haven't been any videos in the last few days, but we actually visited Phil's parents in the north together! " "Yeah, that was really cool. My brother took us on a boat ride one time..."  
This was wrong, this was so very wrong.  
But the people didn`t notice anything, in fact, Dan and Phil were loved for being so relatable and `honest`.  
But nothing was real, their flat was just a realistic, detailed film set and they were far from being friends in real life. In fact, they barely spoke to eachother. Phil seemed like a nice guy, but he never had the courage to talk to him.  
At least their names were real; Daniel James Howell and Phillip Michael Lester.  
Instead of thinking about that further, Dan focused on Phil, who was still talking about all the things that had in fact never happened.  
"Well", Dan said looking straight into the camera and ignoring the men behind it, " I thought, today we could do some Friendship tests and Challenges together! So let's get started." They started answering questions about each other and doing trust exercises, and Dan concentrated on making it all look funny and authentic.  
It happened when they were nearly finished, he just had no energy left and reacted a few seconds too late when Phil asked him a question.  
He flinched when he saw the emotionless smile on their faces while they just cut out the sequence and Phil asked the question again, as if nothing had happened.  
Dan managed not to shiver through the rest of the video, although he knew of the violent punishment that was awaiting him, impersonated by the cruel smiles of the people behind the camera. Wouldn't anyone see the thin layer of sweat on his forehead, the haunted look in his wide brown eyes? Or did he look just like this in all of the videos?  
Finally, they were finished.  
"You may go, Mr. Lester. Mr.Howell, you will join me for a little talk."  
Phil went straight out, without even looking at him. He knew exactly what they were going to do to him, he had experienced it himself, but obviously he didn't care.  
Dan didn't even struggle when he was grabbed by his wrists and dragged into another room. Like every time, he was bound and attached to the wall with shackles. Soon, one of them walked into the room. "Well, Mr.Howell", he said smiling, "do you know what mistake you made while we were filming?"  
His smooth voice made Dan's blood run cold.  
"I...I didn't answer Phil's question quick enough."  
"That's right, Mr.Howell. And how do you explain that?"  
"I wasn't paying enough attention because I wasn't concentrated enough."  
"Right", he whispered grinning."So I'll make sure you try your best to be focused next time..."  
With every word he heard, Dan's panic increased. He couldn't help starting to shiver.  
The first kick in the ribs knocked the breath out of him. He desperately tried to breath in, but blow after blow hit him, some in the ribs, some in the stomach.  
Pain blossomed all over his body, and he couldn't help but scream out when he was punched again and again, careful not to hit his face because people would notice if it looked bruised in the videos.  
After what felt like hours, they finally freed him and dragged him out of the building.  
"Have a nice evening, Mr. Howell", a voice said as he was roughly thrown in the snow and the door slammed shut.  
His vision was slightly blurry and he felt lightheaded. How was he ever supposed to get home like this?  
Dan groaned and tried to get up, but it was too painful and he sank back into the snow. At the moment, freezing didn't seem that bad to him...he could just close his eyes and lie here forever. His vision slowly grew black and he felt himself sinking back into the snow.  
The last thing he knew was someone with a face he couldn't identify rolling him over onto his back, then he knew no more.


	2. Chapter 2

Phil had decided to tell Dan today. Finally. That he liked him in real life, not just in front of the camera.  
But Dan had made a mistake, and he was being punished right now.  
Phil felt a sudden burst of anger, he was sick of the job, of the fake friendship, of the carefully written scripts, and first of all, he hated the way he and Dan were treated.  
He began to crush the thick, wet snow with his boots. How lang had Dan been kept in right now? He had never been kept in there himself for so long, had he?  
Slowly, he became more nervous. The cold started to seep through his dark green coat and he shivered. They would let Dan go eventually, wouldn't they?  
The worry was nearly driving him insane. They couldn't have killed Dan, right?   
No, they needed him for the videos.   
Suddenly, he heard the door being ripped open and the sound of a body hitting the snow.   
Slowly, he checked if anyone could see him, then he quickly ran over to Dan lying on his stomach. "Oh my god, Dan, what happened? Did they..."  
When Phil rolled him over, he saw that Dan was clearly unconscious. His face wasn't injured, but there was blood seeping through his thin, grey shirt in several places.  
Phil picked him up and started to carry Dan down the road. He was surprised, Dan felt light and frail in his arms, but also cold like ice from lying in the snow.  
"Better get him home quickly, he could catch a severe cold or even pneumonia if he doesn't get warmed up soon", he thought. At least, his small flat wasn't far away from here.  
It took Phil over twenty minutes to get them back to his home, and Dan hadnt't even moved.  
He gently laid Dan down in the snow and unlocked the door with fingers cold like ice, his arms shuddering with cold and exhaustion.  
After managing to drag Dan onto the sofa, he went to his bathroom to get the first aid kit. He tried to collect every single information about first aid he had ever heard.  
Before he could look for blankets to warm Dan up, he heard a loud thump from the living room. Immediately he ran over and saw Dan, breathing heavily and staring at him with wide, brown eyes.  
"Phil? What the hell happened?"  
"Oh...erm, I waited for you outside, and they threw you out of the door...and I didn't want you to freeze to death, you know, so I had to take you home."  
Dan's thoghts were racing. Why would Phil wait for him? He didn't actually care about him, did he?  
"Aahm, alright, but..." He was interrupted by a heavy coughing fit that made him curl up on the sofa.  
"Shit, I think you've cought a cold. Probably my fault, I didn't get you in quick enough...I'm so sorry Daniel...", Phil said blushing lightly. "We should look after your injuries now, I have a first aid kit, so...could you maybe remove your shirt?"  
Dan nodded slowly, his breathing still labored and wheezing, and carefully slipped out of his shirt. Everyone could have been able to see the pain in his eyes , even though Dan tried not to show it.  
Phil gasped when he pulled away the grey fabric and gave free sight onto Dan's upper body. Red bruises with a purplish edge were scattered across his chest and back and in several places he could see cuts where the skin had broken.  
"Alright...I think I should clean this up first. Then, I'm going to disinfect the cuts and apply bandages. Are you okay with that?" "Yeeeah, sure", Dan mumbled.  
He flinched when his bruised, bloody skin contacted with the damp cloth Phil was using to wipe away the dried blood. The disinfection was even worse, and he was incredibly relieved after enduring the whole procedure.   
"Would you like some pain meds, Daniel?", Phil asked.   
"That...won't be necessary Phil", Dan said quietly looking at him with shy eyes. "Thank you really much, but I gotta go now, I think." " Are you mad, Dan? You can't go outside like that,you can't even walk properly! What if you collapse on your way?" "You're probably right, Phil, but I can't sleep at your flat, can I? After all, we don't even know each other."  
"You can stay here, Dan, and besides...I'd really like to be friends with you, like in real life."  
Dan stared at him with his big, chocolate-coloured eyes. Phil liked him? How was this possible? Nobody had ever wanted to be friends with him. "You actually want to be friends with me?" Phil nodded. 'Maybe I really could be friends with Phil...or he is just lying...'  
"You like pizza? I can make some pizza for dinner if you'd like that", Phil interrupted his thoughts."Sure, that'd be great", Dan said and smiled, trying to ignore the flaming pain still cursing through him. " And I actually could use some pain meds, thank you."  
After dinner, Phil prepared a bed on his sofa for Dan and gave him some of his own clothes to change.   
Dan pressed himself into Phil's sofa crease and closed his eyes in exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was very comfort-y... But there is more angst to come! I would love to hear you opinion so please comment.


	3. Chapter 3

Dan was awakened by a coughing fit at 3 am. His lungs started to hurt, and coughing hurt even more because of his bruised chest. The first fit didn't last long, but it ended with tears streaming down his face.  
Shit, I hope Phil didn't wake up because of me´, he thought, but he could already hear footsteps in the floor and soon, Phil stormed into the living room. " Dan! Oh my gosh, that doesn't sound good. Let me get some more medicine for you", Phil exclaimed, trying to sound calm.  
"I'm sure I will be fine, it's just...",another coughing fit interrupted him, making Dan curl up on the couch.  
"Seriously, Dan, what if you have pneumonia ,this could be dangerous", Phil said worriedly. He reached for Dan's forehead to check for a fever and Dan flinched at the contact.  
Phil didn't have to ask himself why.  
"Okay, Dan, I'll go get some pills for you right now, and you will take all of them, okay?" Dan coughed weakly and didn't respond.   
Phil's thoughts were racing as he searched for more medicine. He couldn't really give Dan that much now because...there wasn't that much left, and he couldn't really buy more because medicine was too expensive to afford for him at the moment. Dan probably had even less money than him, the punishments not only included beatings, they also were paid less for making mistakes. And Dan had been quite nervous the last weeks, which had led to mistakes, which had led to punishment, which had led to Dan not even owning something warmer than a shirt and flinching at every contact.  
'If I just had had the guts to talk to Dan sooner...oh my god, how did he even survive the past few weeks?', Phil thought. He ran over to the living room, only to find Dan still sitting on the couch, pale and with tired-looking, glassy brown eyes. "Do I really have to take all of them, Phil?", he said with a raspy voice. "Yeah, sorry Dan, but you have to get better soon", Phil answered, handing him a glass of water.   
Dan started swallowing the medicine, and Phil watched him , clearly worried. "Wake me up if you need something, yeah? I'll go get some sleep now." Dan nodded with glazed eyes, looking extremely tired, and curled himself up on the couch again. 

The next morning, the coughing had started to become better and some colour had returned to Dan's face. Phil, incredibly relieved, made coffee and cereal for breakfast. Dan still looked tired and half-sick. " Thanks a lot for the cereal, Phil. Haven't had that in a while." "No problem, can't afford it always though. Have you ever played video games?" "Yeah, I used to love them when I was younger", Dan said softly, and Phil noticed something like a shadow, a short flash of grief in his eyes, but it lasted only seconds.  
"I actually do have some, as well as a playstation from when I was a child. We can try them out later if you'd like to", Phil said. "I just couldn't sell them, just like this flat...I lived here with my family, but they...they..." Phil's voice started to crack. He breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, then he said quietly: "They died in a fire when I was thirteen. It was a big building, a theatre we visited...I barely survived, but my parents and my brother didn't make it. I inherited nothing because the bank somehow mamaged to steal it all away, and of course I couldn't afford a lawyer, so I...was looking desperately for a job..."  
Phil 's eyes started welling up with tears, then he whispered: " So when they offered me to work for them, I remember being so happy about it, I didn't even think for a second...I just signed all the papers, thinking my future was saved now..." Tears were streaming down his face .  
Dan looked at him, then he quickly came over to Phil and gently pulled him into a hug, the cereal completely forgotten and soaked in milk. "How are we ever going to get out of this, Dan?" " I don't know, Phil, but we will, I promise", Dan answered, his eyes full of determination, while he gently rubbed circles on Phil's shaking back. He tried not to flinch himself when Phil's fingers touched one of the bruises, he still felt so fragile. But calming Phil down seemed much more important right know. It seemed to work, Phil was breathing less heavy, he wasn't crying anymore. "Sorry Dan, I...sometimes I just... have to let it out." "That's fine Phil, It's totally normal, really", Dan said. Phil sniffed and smiled lightly, traces of tears on his cheeks and black hair messed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´m not really content with how this turned out...I hope you like it anyway :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This contains kind of a panic attack, so don't read if you're not comfortable with that.

During the following days, Phil was as happy as he had never been in the last years. He had started to feel a deep inner connection to Dan, he understood Phil in a way nobody had ever been able to, and he had started to feel empty and uneasy whenever his friend's presence wasn't around. The deep, black holes his family had left were still there, but since Dan lived with him, they had certainly grown smaller and hurt less.  
Phil had started to admire his friend more and more, his chocolate eyes and his light, smooth skin as well as his deep, thoughtful personality and the sparkling smile Dan allowed himself to show sometimes.  
They didn't talk about what had happened the day Phil had taken Dan home, or anything else, they both knew they couldn't escape this life full of corruption and violence forever, but pretending they had a normal life, at least for these few days, seemed like the best option.  
But the Monday Phil had heavily marked with black Sharpie in the calendar finally came, and like the last days, they both sat in Phil's kitchen, eating cereal and Phil silently staring at Dan's pale, tired looking face , and wondering how Dan would be able to endure the filming session.  
Dan was stirring around in the cereal bowl, blankly staring at the table and not eating anything, and Phil noticed that Dan somehow still looked incredibly thin in his oversized red pullover.  
"Dan, I think we should go now", Phil said carefully.  
Dan slowly looked up, now realizing they really couldn't pretend everything was alright anymore.  
"But I don't want to go, Phil", Dan whispered, his brown eyes big with fear.  
"I don't want to go either, Dan. But we have to go, you know they will come after us if we don't".  
A flash of panic shot through Dan's face, and slowly, he pushed back the untouched cereal and stood up.  
Phil watched him throwing on one of his own, plaid jackets and his boots, and noticed how his hands were trembling slightly.  
They left the warmth and the safety of Phil's flat, silently walking though the streets, not saying a single word. Fear had taken hold in their hearts and minds, the air seemed heavy and hard to breathe in.  
And finally, both of them saw the place they hadn't wanted to reach desperately.  
But they also knew there was no going back.  
The giant, black builing was towering high above in the sky. It looked quite normal like most of the skyscrapers in the city looked, but some of the windows looked suspiciously dark, like someone had tried to keep everyone from looking inside. Dan and Phil walked around the building to a small back entrance they had been told to use. As they walked towards the shiny metal door, Phil felt Dan tense next to him and his own nervousness was overclouded with worry. This filming session could go horribly wrong, especially with Dan being afraid. What if he was punished again? But they had to get through this, he just didn't exactly know how.  
Phil's hand reached for the bell with the shiny, grey letters "Sunburn Entertainment" attached next to it.  
He pressed it down, and in the exact same moment, Dan started to panic next to him. His breathing started to accelerate more and more and tears were starting to stream down his face. He gasped for air, looking terribly pale.  
"Phil, no, please I can't do this, help me, please, Phil, I can't breathe..." Images and voices flashed through his mind, of all the beatings he had ever endured, of the pain, the horrible laughter and his own screams, and he just wanted to get away from this horrible place before someone could hurt him, or hurt Phil. He felt sick and dizzy, like he wanted to throw up, and oh my god he had to get away NOW.  
Dan was pulling away from the door violently, and Phil hated himself for holding him back. "Come on, Dan, calm down, it will only be worse if you run away now", he said, his voice slightly breaking . Dan still struggled against his grip, but Phil was stronger and wrapped his arms around Dan's thin body. Dan yelled when Phil's hands touched the half-healed bruises, his vision going black with pain and loss of oxygen.  
The pained sound made Phil's heart shatter. Why hadn't he thought about Dan's injuries? He should have been so much more careful, how could Dan ever forgive him? He finally let go, but Dan was slumped against the wall now, eyes closed and his breathing uneven and shallow.  
Phil saw the door open and two men stormed out, one of them grabbing his arm and pulling him inside the building. The other one pulled Dan up roughly, and Dan stumbled inside, now paralyzed with fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...please comment! I would really like to know what you think.  
> If there is a real 'Sunburn Entertainment', it has nothing to do with this story, I just chose it because of the Muse song( as well as the title).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I haven´t updated in ages...bit of a writer´s block. I hope you like this chapter.

Phil's thoughts were racing as they were pulled forwards through a dark, terribly familiar corridor. He could hear Dan's uneven breathing behind him, obviously still panicked.   
The guards dragged them further into the building, and finally, they reached the small, cell-like dressing room they had been using for years now.  
"You have ten minutes to calm the fuck down and change, clear? You know what happens when you're not ready for filming." Phil flinched at the man shouting at him, but he couldn't allow himself to get nervous now. He had look after Dan and somehow calm him, even if he wasn't sure how.   
"Dan? Dan, oh shit,did you hurt yourself? Are you alright?"  
Dan didn't reply, blankly staring at him, the fear still visible in his eyes.  
"Dan? Dan, can you hear me?"  
Suddenly, Dan started to tremble slightly as he tried to supress a sob.  
Phil carefully pulled his friend closer so that his head was resting against Phil's shoulder. He could feel the wetness of tears seeping through his shirt, but he didn't care. Nothing was more important than comforting Dan now.  
"Phil....Phil, I don't think I can do this any longer," Dan said, his voice shaking.  
It was clear that Dan wasn't at all panicking like before, no, it seemed more like he was crying out of pure hopelessness.  
Phil gently rubbed small circles over Dan's sensitive wrist; he remembered his mum doing that to calm him when he was younger.   
And slowly, Phil started to realize how broken Dan actually was.   
Rage started to grow deep inside of him, rage at Dan's family, probably the reason why Dan had been outside there alone and forced to accept this job, rage at these horrible people for what they had done, and rage at himself because he was completely helpless and couldn't protect Dan from all of this.  
But he had to control himself now. He couldn't let the anger control him now, this wasn't the time for revenge yet.  
"Dan? Dan, we have to change clothes. Hurry up, please, we don't have much time," he said, trying to somehow sound calming.  
Dan sniffed , but nodded slowly.  
Phil had just pulled on a striking green pullover printed with some anime charakter he would love to actually know, the inside feeling soft against his skin. He could hear footsteps outside, they didn't have much time.  
"Dan, I want you to listen carefully now, okay? They are going to film another video with us now. And I want you to try not to panic, yeah? You know why, don't you?"  
Dan nodded, still looking worried .  
"And Dan...we are gonna get out of this, I promise. I promise, one day, we won't work for these bastards anymore, yeah? " Phil said, suppressed rage barely showing in his voice. He squeezed Dan's hand reassuringly and smiled at his friend while the door was pulled open. Both of them felt a strange calmness as they walked the familiar, dark corridor, like the presence of the other was taking away all the fear and replacing it with hope and serenity.  
Dan even smiled as he was given the script, the video was going to be a "Would you rather" game video. He kind of liked these to be honest. Phil was there and it would all be fine. Phil was there, and they would get out of this.  
They placed themselves in front of the camera, and Phil started with his usual "Hey guys!"   
"Today, we will once again make a 'Would you rather" video! Although I actually hate them," Dan says sarcastically.   
"The first question says: Would you rather have laser eyes or a third eye on your forehead?"  
"Laser eyes obviously! You could like, cut cakes at birthday parties!" Phil answered.  
" Yeah, but you also would need glasses all the time because you would constantly kill random people, Phil."  
"Yeah. But I mean, I like wearing my glasses. And besides, my fringe would constantly get in a third eye on my forehead. So I'll go with laser eyes."  
"That's a good point, Phil. I wouldn't change my hairstyle for some stupid blob on my forehead," Dan agreed.  
He smiled at Phil, and the smile was real.   
He felt safe, he could do this, Phil was there and they were just friends joking around , not some people getting paid for entertaining.  
"The next question! Would you rather have a shark fin on your neck or on the back of your knee?"  
"Imagine it on your neck! It would just pierce through your clothing!"  
"But on the back of your knee it would pierce your jeans."  
"Right...I'll go with neck. At least I could scare the shit out of people in swimming pools," Dan said with a mischievous grin.  
Phil laughed, gazing into Dan's chocolate eyes. There was no camera, no script, no people with guns in their pockets. It was just him and Dan now, and their trust in each other made them feel better than they had ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would be really happy about comments ;)

**Author's Note:**

> I don`t want to say anything in their videos is fake, this is purely fiction. :)  
> Also, English is not my native language, so there may be mistakes.
> 
> Please tell me what you think ( constructive criticism only)


End file.
